Clare Purcell (17 November 1884 – 8 February 1964) was an American
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South and
the Methodist Church, elected in 1938.
Birth and family
Clare was born 17 November 1884, the youngest of six children of William Henry and Mary Ellen (Callen) Purcell of
Roanoke, Alabama
Roanoke is a city in Randolph County, Alabama, Randolph County, which is in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of eastern Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,311, down from 6,074 in 2010 and 6 ...
. Clare's family was of a very old connection in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
, described in the
Lumber River Scots. His mother was descended from
Skelton Smith, a 15-year-old soldier of the
Revolutionary War. His father was in the 13th
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
Regiment of the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
and served in battle. Clare married Ida West (whom he met in college) 28 December 1910 and they had three children: John Robert (b. 02 Jul 1915), William Wood Rowe (b. 19 Dec 1911) and Ida Claire (b. 05 Jan 1921).
Education
Clare was educated at
Roanoke Normal College, graduating in 1903. After working for the
Georgia Railroad
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
in Roanoke and
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
, and
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...
, in 1906 he enrolled at
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
. He was a member of
Phi Delta Theta while at Emory. However, health problems prevented him from completing his degree.
In 1907 Rev. Purcell enrolled in the
Bachelor of Divinity program at
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
. He earned his
B.D. degree in 1916. He also earned an
A.B.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree from
Birmingham College the same year.
Ordained ministry
Rev. Purcell was granted a Local Preacher's License in 1906 by the Lafayette District Conference of the
M.E. Church, South. In November of that year he was admitted on trial to the North
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
Annual Conference, serving a one-year appointment on the
Wedowee Circuit. He was ordained deacon in 1911 and elder in 1913. Between 1911 and 1918 Rev. Purcell served the following appointments:
Madison Circuit, the Owenton Church (later renamed McCoy Memorial) in Birmingham, and
First Methodist Church of
Sylacauga.
In 1918 Rev. Purcell entered service as a
chaplain in the
131st Infantry of the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He spent the winter of 1918 in
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
. Upon his return from military service, Rev. Purcell was appointed to the First Methodist Church of
Hartselle. In 1920 he was appointed to
Talladega, and in 1924 to
Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of ...
. In 1927 Rev. Purcell as appointed presiding elder of the
Jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
District. In 1931 he became the pastor of the First Methodist Church of
Gadsden, where he remained until 1938.
Rev. Purcell also served the greater Church as a member of the Commission on Methodist Unification (1934–38).
Episcopal ministry
The Rev. Clare Purcell was elected to the
episcopacy
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
3 May 1938, by the General Conference of the M.E. Church, South, following a well-received speech in which he argued in favor of union with the
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...
and the
Methodist Protestant Church
The Methodist Protestant Church (MPC) is a regional Methodist Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1828 by former members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, remaining Wesleyan in doctrine and worship, but adopting ...
. Bishop Purcell was assigned to the
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
Episcopal Area (1938–48), and to the Birmingham Episcopal Area from 1948 until his
retirement
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
in 1956. He served as
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of the Council of Bishops of The Methodist Church, 1955-56.
In retirement, Bishop Purcell remained in Birmingham, where he served as president of the board of directors of Carraway Methodist Hospital. Bishop Purcell died 8 February 1964.
See also
*
List of bishops of the United Methodist Church
This is a list of bishops of the United Methodist Church and its predecessor denominations, in order of their election to the episcopacy, both living and dead.
1784–1807
;Founders
* Thomas Coke 1784
* Francis Asbury 1784
* Richard Whatcoat ...
References
* Leete, Frederick DeLand, ''Methodist Bishops''. Nashville, The Methodist Publishing House, 1948.
* ''Clare Purcell Papers'', MSS 319, Archives and Manuscripts Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory Universit
External links
Papers of Clare Purcell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Purcell, Clare
Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
World War I chaplains
American sermon writers
American letter writers
1884 births
1964 deaths
People from Roanoke, Alabama
20th-century Methodist bishops
Vanderbilt University alumni
United States Army chaplains